Rep. Grimm supports online poker regulation

Yesterday, there was a rare statement from a Congressman that didn’t have anything to do with the debt deal. Congressman Michael Grimm, a Republican representing New York in the House of Representatives, issued a press release stating his support for online poker regulation in the U.S. He also praised FairPlayUSA, a poker lobbying group.

In the press release, Congressman Grimm said that he fully supports “the efforts to create a strong regulatory framework for legal online poker and to crack down on illegal sites, many of whom have ties to organized crime.” He went on to say that there are a lot of online poker players among his constituents and that he supports their right to continue playing online poker. He wants federal regulation to be passed in order to provide adequate protection for the players.

Having a Congressman, especially a Republican – since the party tends to be more anti-gambling than Democrats – speak out in favor of online poker on such a busy political day could be a good sign that regulation is coming. Many in the industry, most recently Bodog’s Calvin Ayre, have said they believe that is the case.

Congressman Grimm also praised the efforts of FairPlayUSA to “educate policymakers and the public on the broad public policy interests raised by the current ambiguous laws in the U.S.” The group wants to amend UIGEA to clarify that constitutes “unlawful internet gambling,” getting rid of the ambiguities that the Justice Department is using to its advantage. The group also supports federal regulation of online poker, but believes that individual states and Native American tribes should be able to opt out.